The Exorcist: Believer’s Mature Rating Revealed

The Exorcist: Believer just got a mature rating, and it sounds like it’ll live up to the label.

After 50 years, 1973’s The Exorcist is getting a proper requel in the upcoming horror movie. The project will even be directed by David Gordon Green, who previously re-vitalized the Halloween franchise in 2018.

Believer stars Leslie Odom Jr. as Victor Fielding, a man whose daughter gets possessed after returning from a mysterious disappearance during a normal day at school.

One of the biggest aspects of the franchise’s return is how it’ll bring back Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil, the mother of the little girl who was possessed in the original film.

The Exorcist: Believer Gets Mature

The upcoming horror blockbuster The Exorcist: Believer just got an official rating.

As decided by the MPAA, the next Exorcist film will be Rated R “for some violent content, disturbing images, language and sexual references.”

1973’s original movie, The Exorcist, was given the same rating, but for “strong language and disturbing images.” Though, it’s worth noting that those restrictions have widened just a little bit over the decades.

The next three sequels (Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist III, and 2000’s The Exorcist) were given the same rating.

2004’s Exorcist: The Beginning was also Rated R “for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue.”

The Disturbing Legacy of Exorcist

An R Rating for The Exorcist: Believer is to be expected. In fact, many fans might have been vocally angry if it were any lower.

The franchise is no stranger to disturbing content.

When the original film was released, it was the subject of countless controversies. Audiences were reportedly fainting in theaters, parts of the United Kingdom banned the film, and some religious groups condemned the horror movie.

In the 50 years since then, society has evolved quite a bit—so the requel probably won’t get the same reaction. But, if the trailers are any indication, the franchise doesn’t plan on easing up at all, either.

Previously, the film’s director, David Gordon Green, promised that the upcoming movie will contain some “radical choices” and plenty of “fan service.”

The Exorcist: Believer hits theaters on October 13.